Method of making ribbed display panel



Jan. 2, 1962 D. MAPSON 3,015,296

METHOD OF MAKING RIBBED DISPLAY PANEL Original Filed Jan. 20, 1958 United States Patent ration of California Original application Jan. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 710,106. 12, 1959, Ser. No.

Divided and this application Feb. 792,891

2 Claims. (Cl. 113-116) This invention relates to a method of making sheet metal panels provided in store fixtures for the display of merchandise and particularly to such a panel which is provided with a uniform pattern of perforations by which merchandise-supporting brackets may be selectively mounted in a wide variety of locations on the panel.

Reinforcement of such panels intermediate the ends thereof has been found necessary and this has hitherto been done by spot-welding sheet metal angle ribs to the back of the panel in certain vertical areas between adjacent vertical rows of said perforations. The cost of adding these ribs is a substantial item and their effectiveness in reinforcing the panel against bulging or buckling is sometime inadequate. The angle ribs also present an unsightly appearance when the panel is viewed from the rear, as when both faces of the panel are used for display purposes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of making a ribbed display panel in which the ribs are formed by a die pressing operation and yet retain in the finished panel the uniform pattern of perforations requisite for said panel supporting brackets in any position in which said brackets are applied over the surface of the panel.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method of producing a ribbed perforated sheet metal display panel in which the ribs are formed by a die pressing operation from the material of the panel and in which said method permits an election to be made at relatively small expense in the performance of said method as to what number of said ribs are provided and as to their locations in said panel.

This application is a division carved out of my copending application Serial No. 710,106 filed January 20, 1958 on a Ribbed Display Panel and Method of Making Same.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages w'll be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view of a blank of sheet metal illustrating certain steps in the method of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view illustrating the appearance from the front of a preferred embodiment of the panel of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic fragmentary perspective view illustrating at an enlarged scale, a portion of the panel shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, as viewed from the front, with a merchandise-supporting bracket mounted thereon.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing said panel as viewed from the rear.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, a panel 15 comprising a preferred embodiment of the panel of the invention is there illustrated. This panel is formed of light sheet metal, preferably about 22 gauge, and includes a rectangular main body 16 and upper and lower reinforcing angle members 17 and 18.

It is common practice to make the body 16 of the panel 15 about four feet high and about two feet wide.

located symmetrically with 3,615,296 Patented Jan. 2, 1962 Panel bodies 16 of such dimensions are sometimes joined together to form multiple panels by spot-welding abutting vertical side flanges of adjoining panel bodies together.

It is common practice, for instance, to form a multiple body by thus connecting two of the panel bodies 16in which case reinforcing angle members 17 and 18 extend the full width of the multiple panel body and secure the individual panel bodies together so that a single fabricated panel about four feet square results from this operation. With the exception of one or more ribs 19 formed in each panel body 16 and upper and lower flanges 20 and 21 bent therefrom each panel body 16 comprises a fiat rectangular sheet of metal 22 all portions of which, with the exceptions noted, lie in a single plane. The flat faced sheet 22 of each panel body 16 is provided with parallel horizontal rows 23 of square perforations 24. In each of the rows 23 the perforations 24 are spaced apart on centers a uniform distance of one-half inch and the centers of perforations in adjacent rows 23 are likewise spaced apart by the same distance. It is also to be noted that the centers of all perforations 24 are located at only, and at all *of, the points of intersection of two sets of vertical and horizontal lines which are uniformly spaced apart by a distance of one-half inch.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, each rib 19 is disposed entirely in between an adjacent pair of vertical rows of holes 24. It is also to be noted that the holes 24 in each horizontal row 23 which are immediately adjacent to one of the ribs 19 are disposed with their centers spaced apartexactly the same distance that all other adjacent pairs of holes in the pattern are spaced.

While only a single rib 19 is shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that a plurality of such ribs is customarily required in each panel 15 .and that in the panels used for different purposes the number of these ribs and their consequent location in the panel necessarily vary. One of the important objects of the invention therefore is to provide a method of manufacturing the panel 15 by which these may have reinforcing ribs 19 provided in spaces between certain adjacent vertical rows of holes 24 and at various locations in the panel as is required by the design of the latter.

The method of the invention by which this is accomplished will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. This view illustrates a blank 30 of sheet metal from which the body 16 of panel 15 is made. At the beginning, the blank 30 is, of course, a mere rectangular piece of sheet metal. Notches 31 are then formed in upper and lower transverse edges 32 and 33 of this blank, these notches being reference to the axis 34 of a rib 19 to be provided in the panel body 16 to be made from the blank 30. A multiple punch (not shown) is then prepared which includes a series of individual punches placed in a straight line and centered uniformly one-half inch apart, this multiple punch being approximately equal in length to the width of the blank 30. The blank 30 is wider, by one-half inch, than the body 16 of the panel 15 for each of the ribs 19 to be formed in said blank in producing said panel body. (This statement disregards necessary additions to the width of the blank 30 to provide material for forming side flanges on the panel body 16.)

In the multiple punch prepared for punching rows 23 of holes 24 in the blank 30, the individual punchers thereof are removable and in the practice of the present method one of these individual punches is removed opposite an area lying between the notches 31 and bounded by bend lines 40. In other words, in forming the single rib 19 illustrated in the drawings, one of the punches of this multiple punch whose axis intersects the axis 34 of that rib 19 is removed from the multiple punch before starting the operation of punching holes 24 in blank transversely,

30. A punch press embodying said multiple punch is then operated to punch holes in the blank 30 to form a single line 23 of such holes as shown in blank 30 at the top thereof in FIG. 1. Here it is to be noted that the holes 24 located in this row 23 which are closest to the axis 34 have their respective centers respectively spaced from said axis a distance of one-half inch. 111 other words the centers of these two holes 24 are spaced apart one inch which is a whole multiple of one-half inch. The centers of all of the other holes 24 in the row 23 of these holes just referred to are uniformly spaced apart a distance of one-half inch.

The next step in the method of the invention, following the formation of the first row 23 of holes 24 in blank 30 as above described, is to shift blank 30 longitudinally rearwardly one-half inch and, after indexing the blank in that position, lowering the multiple punch above referred to to repeat the punching operation thereby forming a second row 23 of holes 24 spaced uniformly d1. rectly forwardly from the holes 24 inthe first rows 23 thereof. This repetition of the punching step is thereafter continued until the portions of blank 30 which are to form the face-sheet 22 of panel body 16 is covered with a pattern of holes 24 uniformly spaced, as indicated in the upper portion of FIG. 1. A longitudinally disposed imperforate 'rib area is thus provided in blank 30 symmetrical with rib axis 34.

The next step in the method for producing panel 15 is to bend upper and lower marginal portions of the blankBO on opposite sides of the notches 31 on bend lines 41 and 42 to form the upper and lower flanges 20 and2 1 of panel body '16. Following this step each rib 19 is formed in the blank 30 by a die forming operation using a rib forming die for bending said blank along the bend lines 40 and along the line of the axis '34 of said rib; This step of the method contracts the blank 30 and symmetrically with reference to axis 34, by a distance of one-half inch and brings the corresponding holes 24 of the two vertical rows of these formed parallel with and immediately adjacent to the rib axis 34'into a uniformly spaced relation of one-half inch on centers.

The blank 30, thus notched, punched and shaped, comprisesa panel body 16 and is now ready for assembly with the upper and'lower angle members 17 and 18. This step is accomplished by spot-welding these elements together as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, areas 43 of such spot-welding being illustrated in the latter view.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the details of construction of panel 15 and show how this panel is employed in supporting a bracket 50 for displaying plumbing accessories and which is covered by my US. Patent No. 2,743,022. This bracket is stamped out of sheet metal and includes a body 51 having a screw thread 52 provided therein, upper and lower flanges 53 and 54, hook lugs 55 formed 4 symmetrically on flanges 53 and spaced apart one inch on centers, and a foot lug 56 which extends from the center of flange 54 and lies in the same plane therewith.

The merchandise-supporting bracket 50 is no part of the present invention, and it is only one of many such fixtures which the panel 15 is provided to support and which in turn support merchandise for displaying the same. As may be readily seen by inspection of FIGS. 4 and 5 the method of manufacturing panel 15 is such that the ribs 19 in said panels do not interfere in any way with the principal function of this panel to receive the hook lugs 55 and the foot lug 56 of bracket 50 no matter where on the panel these lugs be inserted in selected groups of holes 24 for mounting said fixture on the front face of the panel.

The claims are:

l. A method of making a perforated display panel from a rectangular sheet of metal of such longitudinal and transverse dimensions as to be a suitablework piece for 'a multiple power punch and a rib forming die, said method comprising the steps of positioning said sheet with a transverse edge portion thereof aligned with said multiple punch and in readiness to be punched thereby, punching a straight row ofholes in said sheet, the centers of adjacent pairs of holes in said row being spaced apart a particular given distance, excepting certain adjacent pairs of holes in said row, the centers. of which are spaced apart a whole multiple of said given distance, repeating said punching step at regular time intervals, shifting said sheet said given distance longitudinally during each such time interval to cause the aforesaid repeated operation of said multiple power punch to producea multiple of like straight rows of holes in said sheet, the centers of adjacent rows being uniformly spaced apart said given distance, and to produce longitudinally disposed imperforate rib areas between the adjacent holes in said rows which are spaced apart a whole multiple of said given distance, positioning said sheet with each of said rib areas in turn symmetrically aligned with said .rib forming die, and die-forming a rib from each of said rib areas which will contract said sheet to bring the centers of the holes bordering said rib area in each ofsaid rows of holes to a spacing of precisely said given distance.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 in which the centers of the holes bordering a rib area in each of said rows of holes are spaced apart, prior to said rib forming step, exactly two times said given distance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 932,410 McGarry Aug. 24, 1909 2,423,863 Wales July 15, 1947 2,602,519 Raper July 8, 1952 2,771,077 Karlsson Nov. 20, 1956 

